The first semester has definitely flown by and I have enjoyed working with your students.  They are all such neat kiddos and we have had our share of laughs and fun while learning in my classroom. Get lots of rest this next week because come Friday they will be all yours to enjoy for two whole weeks as we bid adieu to 2014.

This is what we are studying this week:

Math:  We have been studying coordinate grids and how to find patterns to generate coordinate points to graph.  They seem to have picked up on this skill rather quickly and are working hard.  We will be continuing this in the last week before the break.  We will be taking a Module 10 assessment and algebra post-test (expressions/equations, patterns, graphing) on Monday, Dec. 16th. On Thursday, we will be taking a Module 14 quiz on ordered pairs and relationships.

Science: We have finished discussing the differences between weather and climate. We are starting the Water Cycle next week.  The homework for the week will be on StemScopes on the water cycle. They will be taking a Weather, Climate, and Water Cycle Assessment on Thursday, the 18th.

Social Studies: We are continuing our unit on Westward Expansion this week and will be discussing the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the War of 1812, Texas Annexation, and the Oregon Trail.  We will not have a quiz/assessment over this material until after the break.

ELAR: We are making inferences and drawing conclusions about the structure and elements of poetry this week.  We will also be writing our second composition of the 2nd Nine Weeks this week.

Our Christmas party will be on Friday from 10:30 - 11:30.  I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend and is ready for the last school week of 2014!

We have been working hard and going full throttle in the weeks leading up to Christmas break.  The students are learning new objectives and staying focused despite how close we are to the holidays.  I am very impressed and happy with how hard they are working.  Here's what we are working on next week:

Math: In math we are finished with equations and expressions. We are now moving into graphing and patterns. There were will not be a test next Friday. We will take one on the following Monday instead.

Science: We have finished learning about alternative energy resources, fossil fuels, and fossils.  We are now moving into our weather and climate unit. The weather and climate assessment will be given on the Thursday before we get out for Christmas break.

Social Studies: We are finished discussing the Constitution and Bill of Rights.  We are now starting our unit on Manifest Destiny and Westward Expansion.  There won't be a quiz or assessment this week.  There will be a quiz on the Wednesday before Christmas break.

ELA: In reading we have finished our novel study on The Lion, the Witch and Wardrobe and will be taking a test over the novel (it is also an AR book) and will be watching the movie during the week before the break.

A couple of reminders:
***Saturday is the Fulshear "Parade of Lights" and our choir will be performing.  Come out and support our 5th grade choir members!
***Tuesday, Dec. 9th is our next Spirit Night at the Chickfila in the Bella Terra shopping center.
***Thursday is our "Coffee with the Principal" and FOH meeting
***Progress Reports will go home Thursday

Have a fantastic weekend!

Good morning parents!!!  Hope everyone was able to enjoy some of the beautiful weather we had yesterday!  This will be a short week so I will keep this simple:

In Math: we are finishing up numerical expressions and will be taking an assessment over it tomorrow.  Please remind your students of PEMDAS (Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally or Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition, and Subtraction).

In Science: We are beginning alternative energy resources.

In Social Studies: We have finished up the introduction to the creation of the Constitution and are now moving into the Bill of Rights.  The History Alive quiz on Ch. 15 will be Thurs., Dec. 4th after the break.

In reading, we are finishing up our magazines and moving into Author's Purpose.

Have a FANTASTIC Thanksgiving with your families! AND, to my fellow Aggies....see you at the A&M/LSU game Thursday night...Whoop!

We had a cold and busy week last week!  The students are plowing on and have seemed to gain some momentum into this last stretch before our holiday breaks! Everyone is working super duper hard.  Here are some of the things we are focusing on this week:

Math: We have finished up multiplying and dividing fractions. This week we are studying prime and composite numbers, divisibility rules, factors, and algebraic expressions using PEMDAS (parentheses, exponents, multiplication, division, addition, and subtractions).

Science: We are finishing up fossil fuels this week and will be taking an assessment on Friday.  The homework for last week in StemScopes was reassigned for this week.  It is imperative that your student is logging on to StemScopes and reviewing their homework.  It is due on Friday.  There is a direct link between the students who do well on assessments with those who spend time on StemScopes.

Social Studies: We have been talking about the Constitution and are working in Ch. 14 of our History Alive books.  There will be a quiz on Friday.

ELAR: We are working on our first writing compositions this week to be due on Friday and is an expository piece.  We are focusing on main ideas and text features in reading to help us navigate non-fiction texts.

A few reminders:

Spirit Night is Tuesday, Nov. 19th at Genghis Grill in La Centerra.  Please come out between 4-8 and support Huggins. It can be dine-in or carry-out!

Next week is a short week as we let out for the Thanksgiving holidays on Tuesday afternoon.  Both Monday and Tuesday are regular school days,

With the cold weather, just a reminder---jackets must be in dress code in order to be worn inside the building.  All other jackets will only be allowed outside.

Have a great week!

Good morning to my 5th grade family!  I hope everyone had a FANTASTIC weekend and was able to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather and our Fall Carnival.  It was a lot of fun and seeing everyone come out to make it a success was awesome!  Here are a few reminders for the week:

Math: Just when y'all were getting the hang of fraction multiplication we are switching gears and are now diving into division with fractions.  Now I know you will see the homework and want to show your students the "old" way or the way we were taught but please, please, please resist.  We are teaching them using models and pictures which is a requirement from the state. I promise though, now that they have all gotten the hang of multiplication, the introduction to division this morning was a breeze!  FYI: THE ENTIRE CLASS rocked the multiplication with fractions test last Friday with most making A's and a few B's!!!  I am so proud of them.  The entire test was nothing but pictures and models so I know they have aced this conceptual method of multiplication!  I hope that the videos are helping you to understand at home. 

Science: In science we are discussing the formation of fossil fuels and how it is important to conserve!  Their homework for the week is in StemScopes and there are 3 different activities assigned.  They are due on Friday.

Social Studies: We are taking a Ch. 8 test on Wed. over the road to the American Revolution.  On Thursday we are switching back to the History Alive book and will be starting Ch. 14, the Constitution.

ELAR: This week we are starting our 1st composition for the 2nd nine weeks and it will be an expository piece.  In reading we are discussing main ideas and the details that support them.

Don't forget:

Tomorrow is our 4th/5th grade Veteran's Day Program at 1:30 and 6.

Thursday morning is "Coffee with the Principal" and the monthly FOH meeting.

Thursday evening is our Open House from 6 - 7:30.

Thank you and have an awesome week!

Just a few reminders and happenings this week in 5th grade:

Math: We are still studying fractions and this week are multiplying fractions by a whole number.  I have a video ready to post to assist you in helping your student with their homework.  Lots of new methods are being taught and your fifth graders are working hard! Below I have added the anchor chart to show you all of the methods we use to multiply fractions.  Any method is fine, as long as they are using them!

Science: We are finishing up "Changes to Land" and will be testing this week over it.  Your students have notes in their journals on weathering, erosion, and deposition and they also have assignments in Stemscopes to study.  Please make sure they are signing on each week and doing their science homework.  It is assigned on Mondays and due on Fridays.

Social Studies: We have been working on memorizing the Preamble and it is a major grade.  We have taken a more in-depth look at the road to the American Revolution and have been utilizing our big social studies book.

Reading: We have studied text structures and now talking about text features in reading.  In ELA, we are discussing expository writing and different parts of speech.

***Thursday and Friday are Early Dismissal days for parent-teacher conferences.  I want to say a BIG THANK YOU to all of y'all for having 100% participation.  I look forward to seeing everyone on Thursday.

***Saturday from 1 - 5 p.m. is our annual Fall Carnival.  We will have 2 fifth grade games set up and we are in need of parent volunteers to man our games.  A SignUp Genius email will go out soon with time slots.

Thank you parents for a successful 1st nine weeks!  AND, for a successful Boosterthon!  We were able to raise over $34, 000 in profit for Huggins and our students! 

Please do not forget that if you have not signed up for a parent conference time to meet with me for a short 15 minute meeting, please do so.  The invitations went out via SignUp Genius a couple of weeks ago.  You MUST meet with me in person to receive your student's report card.

This week we are studying:

Math: We are still working on fractions this week.  Homework is assigned daily so please make sure to check that your student is doing theirs.  We will be having a Spiral Review on Friday including a 2 min. fast facts timed quiz.

Science: We are studying changes to the Earth and formations.  They have several things assigned for practice in StemScopes so please have them log on nightly.  Their homework is the Websurfing Science assignment and is due by Friday.

Social Studies: We are still working on the American Revolution and will be going back to the big social studies book to do a more in-depth study.  They are being assigned the Preamble to the Constitution as a major grade and will have to recite it from memory on 11/7.  They will have a History Alive Ch. 13 quiz on Wednesday, 10/29.

ELAR: We are moving into talking about expository texts in both writing and reading.  We are also still continuing our novel study.  Please encourage AR as many students did not meet their goal for the 1st nine weeks grading period and their AR grade reflected that.

Thank you for everything you do and have an awesome week!

This first nine weeks has flown by!  I have enjoyed getting to know my "family" and seeing the growth occurring just in the first nine weeks!  They have all been working extremely hard.  Just a few reminders as the nine weeks comes to a close:

Math: We are finishing up division with decimals and whole numbers.  We are moving into fractions this week and will be talking about like denominators and adding and subtracting fractions using manipulatives.  Our math nine weeks assessment will be on Thursday.

Science: We are talking about "force" in science this week.  The students designed their own experiments last week and will be presenting them this week on the different ways they demonstrated how force can affect an object.  Our science nine weeks assessment will be on Wednesday.  They need to be working on the assignments in Stemscopes to use as a study guide.

Social Studies: We are discussing the Declaration of Independence this week and the events that led up to the Revolutionary War.  Our social studies nine weeks assessment will be on Thursday and the students need to review Ch. 1-13 on the History Alive site as well as their social studies journals.

ELAR: We are finishing up our second writing compositions this week and their final copies are due on Friday.

*Friday is an early release day: we will be dismissing at 11:30.
*Our Boosterthon Fun Run is Friday from 9:45 - 10: 45.  Thank you for all of the pledges and parents are welcome to come out and support their runners.  Please keep the pledges coming!  We are currently at $16/lap and our class goal is $80. The money raised will go towards a new sound system and various technological needs for the school!
*Parent/Teacher conference invites have been sent out via SignUp Genius.  You MUST meet with me face-to-face for a short 15 minute conference in order to receive your student's report card.
*Wednesday, Oct. 22nd is our Fall Picture Day.  It is a free dress day if you wish.

Thank you for everything you do for us and for the support you show Huggins! Have a great week!

I hope everyone had a great weekend!  We have a busy week ahead of us:

Math: We are finished with multiplication of decimals and will now be dividing decimals using various methods.  I will once again be videotaping lessons to demonstrate the different methods to be of assistance to you at home.

Science: We are finishing up sound in science and the students will be designing their own experiment demonstrating force and motion this week.

Social Studies: We will be briefly talking about Life in Colonial Williamsburg and will be moving into Ch. 10 Growing Tensions Between the Colonies and Great Britain. Ch. 10 quiz will be next Tuesday so please have your students taking the practice quiz on the History Alive site.

ELAR: We are working on our second compositions for the nine weeks.  We will also be discussing foreshadowing and our novel study.

A few important reminders:

Tuesday is our McTeacher Night at the Cross Creek McDonald's.  Please come out and support Huggins.  Teachers will be there to take your orders inside, at the drive-thru and collecting donations for "Holler for a Dollar". It is a fun event!


Friday is "Pink Out" day. Your child will be able to wear pink with a donation for breast cancer awareness.

Saturday is the annual Scarecrow Festival out at Cross Creek Ranch and our choir and trashcan band will be performing on the stage starting at 11:45.

First Nine Weeks Report Card Conference: The end of the first nine weeks is fast approaching.  Parents are required to attend a parent/teacher conference to review their child's progress for the first nine weeks.  A sign up genius email will be sent out with the days and times that are available for conferences. Conferences will be set up in 15 minutes increments.  I look forward to meeting with everyone!  

I hope everyone had a FANTASTIC weekend and was able to get out and enjoy this cooler weather we are having.

Here are this week's happenings:

Math: We are still working on decimal multiplication and learning the different methods to find the product.  If you are having trouble helping your child with their homework, please take a moment to go visit our class Facebook page: www.facebook.com/mstiendavis and you will see the short videos I have posted showing you the concrete and pictorial methods we are learning in class.

Science: We are finished with our unit on circuits, conductors, and insulators and are now moving into light.  We will be doing a lab this week to explore the properties of light and will also be participating in Hands on Science.  If you haven't signed up yet to volunteer in the lab, please consider doing so.  Hands on Science is completely run by parent volunteers and is a great program. Homework this week is in Stemscopes and is under "Light Energy".  It will be due on Friday.

Social Studies: We are working in Ch. 7 and will be having a quiz on Wed.  Please make sure your students are visiting the website to take practice quizzes.

ELAR: We are still talking about foreshadowing, characterization and plot elements.  We are starting our second writing composition for the first nine weeks this week.  We are also still doing our novel study on The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Please make sure your students are reading 20 minutes a night to reach their AR goals.  I included their current points in their HOWL folders Friday.

A couple of reminders:

• Wednesday , October 9- Coffee with the principal

*Doctor Randle will be at this meeting, it will start at 8:00 a.m

• Cross Creek McDonald's Spirit Night- October 14 from 5-8 pm.  Come out and support our school! 

• Friday, October 24- Early Release at 11:30 am.

• Friday, October 24- Boosterthon Event- More information will be coming home about this event very soon.

Have a fantastic week!

I hope everyone enjoyed the short school week and long weekend and hopefully everyone was able to get out and enjoy the fair parade and or the Fort Bend County Fair!  Here is what is going on this week:

Math: We are studying how to multiply decimals and students are expected to be able to multiply them in a multitude of ways: using base 10 blocks, using pictorial representation, hundredths grids and the standard algorithm.  I have posted several videos to my Facebook class page.  If you are unsure of how to help your student on homework please take a minute to view the videos to see the different methods we are using.  We will also be multiplying with money this week and will end the week on Friday with a spiral review test over multiplication with decimals.

Science:  In science we are studying electricity and the uses of it.  We will be doing a hands-on lab this week.   We will also be discussing electrical circuits, conductors and insulators.  We will have an electricity assessment on Friday over this lesson.

Social Studies: We are moving rather quickly through History Alive as we have a lot of material to cover this nine weeks.  We have finished up Ch. 5 and are starting Ch. 6, Early English Settlements and will be taking a quiz over this chapter on Wed.  Please have your students visit the History Alive site and take the practice quizzes. Success on these guarantee success on the quizzes in class.

ELAR: We have finished our first written composition for the nine weeks and will be starting our second this week.  In reading, we are discussing foreshadowing and incidents in the plot that help to advance the story.  We will also be continuing our novel study on The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

Don't forget that progress reports go out this week and need to be signed and returned promptly. 

Also, we are currently in the process of earning Class Dojo points for good behavior and citizenship.  The students can use these to turn in for different incentives throughout the nine weeks.  Please encourage your student to practice great citizenship!
Have a great week!

We had another great week here at Huggins.  Thank you to all of you who came out and supported the school at our first Spirit Night at Pepperoni's!  We had a great turn-out and all money raised from Spirit Nights comes back to benefit your students!

Here is what is going on this week:

Math: We are still working on long division and then will be moving into patterns with decimals.  We will have a Module 2 test on Wednesday over multiplication and division.  If you haven't had a chance to "like" our class Facebook page please do so.  I know, just from feedback from your students, that some of you are having problems helping them with homework because of the new methods we are using to help them decompose numbers and make it easier to multiply and divide large numbers. I have videotaped me working two different division problems and posted them on our class Facebook page to help you better understand how we are working the problems.  Some students are very familiar with the "old way" we learned also known as the standard algorithm method, but we still want them to understand the "why" behind the computation.  This is where the concrete and pictorial methods come in.  Please take a moment to look at the videos.  I am in the process of uploading them to my YouTube channel for those who don't have access to Facebook.

Science: In science we have finished up "Classifying Matter" and are now moving into "Uses of Energy".  We will be going to the Computer Lab to work on an assignment this week and then starting our unit on energy.

Social Studies: We have finished Chapter 3 in History Alive on European explorers.  Please have your students visit the tutorial page to take the practice quizzes.  We will have the Ch. 4 quiz on Tuesday.  (It seems to be a pattern so far for Tuesday but it has just happened to work out that way.) We will start Ch. 5: Routes of Exploration on Monday.

ELAR: We are starting our novel study on The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and are finishing up our final drafts for our first compositions this week.  They are due by Thursday.  We have to write two major compositions a nine weeks grading period.  We will be talking about inferencing this week in reading as well.

Have an awesome weekend and don't forget that this is a short week.  Friday is a student/staff holiday for the Fort Bend County Fair.  I hope to see some familiar faces out at the parade at the fairgrounds on Friday! 

If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to email me or call me at the school. Agendas need to be checked and signed daily. 

We have a BUSY week ahead of us with a lot of learning planned! 

In Math, we have finished our lesson on multiplication and have started on division.  We have showed the students a method using concrete math to help them see the visual on how we divide.  I will be posting a video on my class Facebook page to help parents with this method.  I know it is new and is something you have probably never seen before. We have a spiral review on Friday over everything we have covered.

In Social Studies: We are still studying Native American and why Europeans left for the new world. Please continue to remind your students to visit the History Alive tutorial page to help study for quizzes.

In Science: We are studying mixtures and solutions and how we separate matter by their physical properties.  The students have all been working on their note-taking skills and all new vocabulary can be found in their science journals. We have a test on Friday over Mixtures and Solutions.

In ELAR, we are working diligently on our rough drafts for the first composition of the year.  We are also starting a novel study with The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. We are continuing our study of root words and making new words with affixes.

Don't forget that this Thursday is our first Spirit Night at Pepperoni's in Fulshear.  A part of the sales comes back to the school to benefit your children.  Please don't forget to mention Huggins while you are there!

Once again we had a fantastic week last week and accomplished A LOT of learning!

This week we are studying:

Math: We are finishing up decimals and diving into multiplication with two-digits.  We will be taking a spiral review on Friday.

Science: We have started our unit on Matter and finished up Scientific Tools. Quiz your students on the differences between the different states of matter, how density affects objects (Do they sink or float?), and please make sure to log in to the STEMscopes website at:

https://n11074d41264.acceleratelearning.com/login

Several assignments have been assigned for homework and they are due by the end of the week.  The user name is first initial and last name (one word) and their password is "student". This website works best with Google Chrome.

Social Studies: We have finished up the geography refresher chapter in History Alive and are now in our Native American unit.  Please have your student visit the History Alive website at http://teachtci.tutorial.com (also use Google Chrome) to take the practice quizzes.  Student success on our quizzes is definitely impacted by the amount of time they spend taking the practice quizzes.

ELAR: We are studying "schema" and how to me thoughtful readers and to make connections in our reading.  Students should be reading 20 minutes every night in order to meet their AR goal for the nine weeks.

Don't forget:
Tonight is our Watchdogs kick-off at 6 pm for kids and dads! Come check out this wonderful program and enjoy some free pizza!

Thank you to everyone for coming out to our Parent Information Night last week!  Have a great week!

Wow! What an awesome first week we had!  I am thoroughly enjoying getting to know your children!  I just know that this year will be nothing short of fantastic. 

Just a recap of last week:

Math: We talked about place value and decimals to the thousandths place.  We also reviewed standard and word form.  This week will continue to talk about decimals and how to order them.

Science: We have hit the ground running with our science and are studying the Scientific Method and the scientific process.  We did one lab and one observation teacher-led lab.  We talked about the different types of science tools and how to use them.

Social Studies: We talked about geography and how to read maps.  We have a History Alive quiz tomorrow. Please utilize the tutorial link I sent last week for your child to practice.  This will ensure that they know the proper material for the quiz.  This week we will be starting our unit on Native Americans.

Reading: We talked about picking "just right" books and started reviewing about why we read, metacognition and our schema.  This week we will continue to review these terms and will practice our reading strategies. Your student has already take the AR Star test to set their reading levels. They will need to read 30 minutes every night in order to meet their AR goals for the 9 weeks.  It is a reading grade.

Writing: We are in our Writer's Workshop and talking about why we write and the writing process.  We will continue to delve into the writing process and will begin the first of two writing compositions for the 9 weeks.

Don't forget to sign up for Remind to receive text reminders.

Tonight from 6 - 7:30 we will have our Parent Information Night.  This is strictly for parents only and there will not be any activities for students. 

Thank you for your continued support and I am looking forward to seeing you all tonight!

Thank you to everyone for the sweet cards and snacks for Teacher Appreciation Week.  It was very thoughtful of all of my students!

 

Just a few reminders for next week:

 

STAAR Math is Wednesday and STAAR Reading is Tuesday for those that didn’t pass the first administration. Please make sure your student, if they are testing, has a good night’s rest and a good breakfast.  Please have them dress in layers as it may be cold in the room they are testing in.

 

I am attaching 2 information sheets about Austin’s Week next week.  He is a 5^th grade student in Ms. Suttles’ class and has muscular dystrophy.  He is raising funds to help support his charity of choice.  It is only $1 per day and is for a good cause.  Please see the attached fliers for information.

 

In Math we finished up our personal financial literacy unit and your student should now be able to tell you the difference between gross and net income, the different types of taxes and how to balance a budget.

 

We are talking still about the world wars in social studies and will be delving deeper in the coming weeks.

 

In reading we are finishing up Number the Stars and will be starting another novel right after.

 

In science we are still working on our health unit and learning about our bodies.

 

Please check your student’s HOWL folder as there were many informative notes that went home for the coming weeks!

 

Have a great weekend!

First I would like to say a BIG THANK YOU to Mrs. Vargas, Jeri Condit, and Rob Condit for all of the volunteering that you have provided my classroom this year.  The Volunteer Luncheon was a lot of fun on Monday and it was nice to see so many faces here enjoying the afternoon.

Couple of reminders:
Those that did not pass the 1st administration of the STAAR are rocking Reading Camp, Part 2 this week and I have no doubt we will have a 100% pass.  Please return the STAAR SSI letters that went home last Friday.  I need those signed copies to return to the office.  Thank you for helping make this a very successful year!

Math: We are covering Personal Financial Literacy and the students are working hard to understand the different types of taxes and how they affect purchases and payroll.

Reading: We are still working hard on our reading skills and objectives in preparation for 6th grade along with our grammar skills.

Science: We have started our Health unit and the students are learning all about their bodies and how to be healthy.

Social Studies: We are covering WWI, WWII, and present-day. 

Hope everyone has a fantastic week!

I hope that everyone had a nice and relaxing weekend and was able to spend some time out in the beautiful weather we had.  Just a recap of what has been happening in our room and what is coming up:

Our Huggins 5th graders spent a fun-filled week last week in Science STAAR Camp learning, exploring, and reviewing for our test this Wednesday. I know that they are more than ready for this test and will do a great job.  Hopefully this is the last STAAR test they will have to take this year and that we had 100% pass the first administration!!!

This week we are also covering:

Math: We are gearing up for 6th grade math so we are now focusing on the gaps and topics that all 5th graders need to know before next school year.  We are covering financial literacy and taxes this week.

Science: all review this week over all objectives.

Social Studies: We are studying Ch. 20 in the History Alive book which covers Modern America.  There will be a quiz next week over this chapter.

Reading: We have been working on our writing skills and grammar skills.  This week we are doing an in-class project.

Friday is a movie day to let the students relax after finishing up all rounds of testing.

Thank you to all of the parents who volunteered for our Hands-On Science labs last week.  We appreciate all of you!

We have been so busy finishing up all objectives for the STAAR test.  We will be taking the first administration for the math and reading STAAR tests on April 1st and 2nd.  Just a couple of reminders for this coming week and the test days:

Please have your students practice on Study Island nightly.  All of the objectives have been assigned for weeks under "Math STAAR Review" and "Reading STAAR Review".  These games and lessons are designed to help your students master the objectives.

They will be attending camp sessions all week to focus on specific objectives that have been challenging and will be participating in activities with each teacher in their groups.  They will be rotating through all 4 teachers in their respective groups.

A Sign-up Genius email has been sent out.  Each teacher has activities planned that require some hands-on supplies.  We are in need of snack sized Skittles packages (9-10 big bags), Smarties candies (one for each of the 90 students) and then peppermints for their STAAR snack bags (3 peppermints per student for a total of 270 mints). 

They will need their electronic devices with a QR scanner app for reading camps thsi week also. 

Thank you for everything you do for our students!  I am confident that they will all do well.  Please offer encouragement and motivation to help tone down test anxiety leading up to the test. 

Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend!

Phew!  This week has flown by.  Just a couple of reminders before I sadly part with your children for a week.  Mrs. Moreno husband is working on the 5th grade slideshow and is still in need of pictures.  Please send those up if you can.  All pictures will be returned to you when they are done with them.  Study Island should be utilized every evening.  Some homework assignments have been assigned through Study Island and others are practice.  They should be working on the site daily to strengthen their skills.  We only have one week of instruction and one week of STAAR camp before the first round of tests start on April 1st.  Remember that 5th grade is an SSI (Student Success Initiative) year and they MUST pass both the Reading and Math tests in order to be promoted to 6th grade.  Please encourage them at home they need to stay focused, remember to use their strategies and to take the tests very seriously.  We have been working hard and I have no doubt that most, if not all, will do VERY well on these tests.


Math: We are finishing up the last objective before the tests.  We will be working on Probability and Predictions the week we get back.


Social Studies: We are finishing up the Civil War and Reconstruction and the 3rd Nine Weeks Assessment will be given the Friday after we get back.


Science: We have finished up Inherited Traits which is the last objective before the STAAR test.  We will be spending the bulk of the time after the Math and Reading STAAR tests in April getting prepared for the Science STAAR that will occur at the end of April.


Reading: We are still practicing our strategies and have finished up all objectives needed for the test.  Please have your students read nightly in order to meet their AR goal.  The end of the nine weeks will be March 28th.


I hope y'all have a nice and relaxing Spring Break and hopefully the weather cooperates with us and you get a chance to get outside and do some fun activities before your kiddos come back!

This has been busy short week of school, but we accomplished a lot!  We took the Science STAAR benchmark, finished up adaptations in science, started the Civil War in social studies, and discusses themes in Reading.

Next Week:

Math-We have been working hard on measurement and this next week will be taking it a step farther.  We will be working on conversions in measurement with both customary and metric units.  Have your student work on www.studyisland.com at home on a daily basis.

Science: We are now moving into the science objective on Environmental Changes.  We will be doing a couple of fun activities plus spend time on Stemscopes and Edusmart to master this objective.  Remember that science adaptation projects are due Monday and will be 10 points late for every day after with no projects accepted after the 28th.

Social Studies: We are finishing up the causes of the Civil War and our Ch. 18 History Alive quiz will be on Wednesday.

We are in need of chart paper for our anchor charts.  Thank you to all of you for the support you provide that makes this classroom a successful learning zone!

Phew!  The last few weeks have been crazy!  With ice days, benchmarks, and Valentine's Day we have been busy, busy, busy.

In Math we wrapped up Patterns and Expressions and moved into Geometric figures.  We studied the different types of figures and their characteristics.  We then moved into talking about ordered pairs and the coordinate plane and was a skill that all students in my class mastered.  We are currently working on measurement so please practice with your student at home: give them a ruler and have them practice measuring various items throughout the house to the nearest inch, 1/2" and 1/4".  We worked on measuring shapes using area, perimeter, and volume.  The formulas do not have to be memorized but they do need to know how to apply them to problems given a certain set of data. We will begin talking about conversions this week and the differences between the metric and customary systems of measurement.

In science, we have covered the different biomes, ecosystems, and how the different parts of a food web/chain depend on each other to keep the ecosystem flourishing.  They have a science at-home project that was assigned last Monday and will be due on Monday, Feb. 24th.  Any day it is late, 10 points will be deducted with NO projects being accepted after the 28th.  They were given a rubric with the requirements.

In social studies, we finished up the first Industrial Revolution and discussed how America made great gains in industry during the 1800s.  We are now moving into the Civil War and will be spending the next couple of weeks discussing it.

In reading we have finished discussing Author's Purpose and will now be moving into the genre of drama.  Please make sure that your students are reading at least 30 minutes every night to meet their AR goal for the 9 weeks.

We took benchmarks in reading and math last week and scores were sent home in the HOWL folders.  We will be testing on Tuesday the 18th in Science.  Please make sure your scholars are well-rested and have had a good breakfast.  Only a few more weeks until the STAAR and we will be super busy brushing up on our skills in preparation for these very important tests!

We've had a fun couple of weeks in my room despite the frigid temperatures outside!  Here's a recap of what we have been studying and what is coming up over the next few weeks:

Math: We finished up patterns and expressions and moved into the coordinate plane, ordered pairs, and transformations.  Please have your students practice at home on graph paper drawing reflections, translations, and rotations of geometric shapes.  Practice makes permanent!  We are currently working on assignments on www.studyisland.com. We will be assigning assignments on this site to be worked on at home.  The countdown to STAAR has begun and the more practice your student has, the better prepared they will be for the test.  Their usernames are firstinitiallastname@huggins (i.e. tmefford@huggins) and their passwords are the same as their AR password.  It can be accessed anywhere where there is an internet connection.  We are also visiting the computer lab for 40 minutes each week for those students who do not have internet access outside of school.

Social Studies: We finished up the "Diverse Peoples of the West" in the History Alive book and will be spending the next several weeks studying the Industrial Revolution with one project in the coming weeks: a brochure on the different inventions of the 1800s.  This will be both a take home/in-school project and will be due on Thursday, Feb. 13th.  We have also been building our ecocolumns and have the aquarium and terrarium sections set up.  We have fish and snails and are currently waiting on our plants to grow!

Science: We finished up the Earth and Moon with a neat Hands-On Science day in the lab.  We will spend the next several weeks studying the biomes of the world.  They are currently working in class in partners on a poster project that will be due Feb. 6th.  They were given a rubric and know the expectations for the project.

ELAR: We have been discussing Author's Purpose and point of view in Reading.  We are also working on persuasive texts and their characteristics.  The new nine weeks grading period has started and students should be reading for at least 30 minutes each night in order to reach their AR goal.  The AR goal is ONE grade that goes in on the last day of the nine weeks and is calculated based on the percentage of their goal that they met.

We are still needing supplies in class: 6 crates for organizing their work with hanging file folders, posterboard, and dry erase markers.  If you can provide any of these that would be greatly appreciated!

I will be starting STAAR tutuorials for those students that need it in Feb. I will send more information as soon as I have everything scheduled.  Don't forget that tonight is "Sonnapalooza" and that you still have time to sign up for our 5K, "Sweetheart Stroll" which will be held in Cross Creek Ranch next Saturday morning!

I hope that all of my families enjoyed the time off from school and that your scholars got plenty of rest!  I am also very thankful for the many generous gifts that were brought up here for me in celebration of Christmas.  I feel truly blessed to be a part of this community and school and am looking forward to many years as a Huggins Hound.  Thank you for all that you do in support of us and the children!

We are gearing up for a very busy semester in preparation for our STAAR tests in April.  This last week was busy and your children hit the ground running as soon as they hit the doors on Tuesday.  Just a recap of what has been going on:

Math: We have finished up patterns and expressions and are moving into geometry.  We took a spiral review last week and a post test to gauge how much progress your child has made thus far.  We are starting geometric shapes this week and will be taking our math 9 weeks assessment on Wednesday.

Science: We finished up climate and weather before the break and we dove into the Earth, Sun, and Moon and their characteristics.  We are also starting our terrariums next week so please be on the lookout for a SignUp Genius email since we will be needing a few supplies for our lab.  Our Science 9 weeks assessment is Tuesday, Jan. 14th.

Reading: In reading we have moved into poetry and figurative language.  We will be studying what characteristics make up a poem and the students are learning words like hyperbole, rhyme scheme, meter, simile and metaphor.  Remember that Friday is the last day of the 9 weeks and is the last day for AR points.  Please encourage your students to read at least 30 minutes per night and to take their AR tests. Reading 9 weeks assessment will be on Wednesday.

Social Studies: We have finished up the early beginnings of our country.  We studied the American Revolution, Manifest Destiny and settling the west, and are now moving into the Mexican-American War and the Industrial Revolution.

Remember that tonight is Huggins Spirit Night at Buffalo Wild Wings Bella Terra!  Come out and support Huggins!  Please be sure to tell them that you are there for Huggins and they will donate 10% back to the school.